He saw with his own eyes the attack of the German tank forces, which can really only be described as devastating.

These German armored units appeared at a considerable distance from the defense line, and God knows why they had such a fast breakthrough speed, and such a terrible attack force.

Zhukov had a wealth of combat experience, having commanded the famous Battle of Nomenkan in the Far East.

The Soviet commander had seen the ferocity and tenacity of the Japanese troops, but had not yet had time to experience a completely different style.

Because Zhukov had just arrived at the front, he did not yet understand his opponents. The German army was different from the Japanese army he had seen before, or it could be called a strengthened version of the Japanese army.

In the course of the battle, the SS was no less brave than the Japanese soldiers. However, Germany's weapons and equipment and tactical system are much stronger than Japan's.

It is a pity that Zhukov, who had not seen the German SS attack without fear of death, nor the overwhelming attack of tanks, could not imagine the desperate scene that Khrushchev saw.

Stuka flew down overhead and dropped a huge bomb...... Secret artillery explodes around you as if it were hell! Khrushchev held the teacup and said to Zhukov.

"Their vanguard is so strong in firepower?" Hearing Khrushchev's words, Zhukov instinctively realized the crux of the matter.

A force that is in the midst of a rapid advance will not actually have too much heavy fire to follow! Therefore, although Zhukov considered his forces to be tight, he was not afraid that the Germans would dare to storm his own defenses.

Now, after getting Khrushchev's statement, Zhukov is keenly aware that his previous judgment seems to be a little too optimistic.

He suddenly realized that this German army, which had been intercepted in his unit, as well as in the Soviet units in the Minsk encirclement, was in fact the main force of the German army!

It's not some damn vanguard, and it's not an armored assault force in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a composite force equipped with heavy firepower that can fight tough battles.

In fact, the German army was indeed not a simple armored force, but a mixed battle group - the Germans liked to improvise and form a chaotic "mixed regiment" during the attack.

For example, the 505th Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, which served as the spearhead of the attack, actually cooperated with the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division for most of the time.

And the one who served as their fire support was the organ rocket artillery unit drawn from the military headquarters of the Gudeli Installation Army.

Covering this force was a specialized Stuka bomber unit attached to the Air Force - which could no longer be measured by a single battalion.

In terms of fire support, it is almost divisional; And in terms of troops, it should at least be called an armored composite regiment, not just a tank battalion.

Of course, although it doesn't seem like a lot of troops, when this force is aimed at a point of the long defensive line, it looks very terrifying.

"No wonder, when I tried to counterattack this unit yesterday, my troops suffered so heavy losses......" Zhukov looked at Khrushchev, who was a little distracted, and said with words in his mouth.

He hoped that he could stop the attack and even reopen the road to Minsk, but at this moment, he decisively gave up this idea.

With the existing forces, it is difficult to even defend, let alone such an unrealistic idea as attacking.

What can be done at this moment is to shrink its forces and deploy a new defensive line near Smolensk.

Draining the elite German troops in positional warfare is the best way to deal with this formidable adversary.

Zhukov made up his mind and looked at Khrushchev in front of him. Although this man is not a commander's material, he is a good partner to work with.

So, Zhukov opened his mouth and said to Khrushchev: "I need your help, Comrade Khrushchev......"

"I'm going to Moscow soon to meet the great leader, Comrade Stalin, what else can I help you?" Khrushchev raised his head, looked at Zhukov, and asked.

"Give an order to our troops in the Minsk encirclement to break through as much as possible and assemble on a new line of defense!" Zhukov looked at each other and said what he thought.

"It's hard for you to explain your abandonment of Minsk anyway, and one more order to break through won't make a difference." He spoke very badly, and Khrushchev listened to him very badly.

Khrushchev sneered, shook his head and replied: "I will not give this order, because I adhere to all the orders of the great leader Comrade Stalin!" ”

Stalin ordered the Soviet troops near Minsk not to retreat, and Khrushchev faithfully conveyed this order and gave corresponding punishments.

For example, if the Soviet troops near Minsk surrendered, anyone had the right to shoot those who surrendered.

It is ridiculous that the day before the siege of Minsk, Khrushchev, in the name of urging the transfer of supplies to the rear, fled the city that had become the front line.

"Comrade Khrushchev, you yourself know that if you don't give this order, then the 400,000 our troops in the encirclement will really be finished!" Zhukov gritted his teeth and said to Khrushchev.

Khrushchev still waved his hand and replied: "Holding the position is what the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War need to do!" I didn't force them to do it! ”

As a politician, Khrushchev, of course, knew the seriousness of the matter. Failing to beat the Germans is one crime, and failing to carry out Stalin's orders is another.

He didn't want to bear such a fatal charge and then face Stalin's wrath for himself!

Even if he was defeated and retreated, he could be sent to Siberia, which was much better than directly annoying Stalin and ending up hanged in prison.

What's more, it seems that it is not a good choice to send to Siberia now - after all, the front line is too passive, and staying away from the dangerous area of the front line, at least you can save your own life, right?

Zhukov didn't think so, and his mind was now full of how to free as many Soviet troops as possible so that he could reorganize his defenses.

In this case, he could only continue to speak: "As soon as the Germans annihilate our troops in Minsk, then they could capture Smolensk in May!" ”

"By then, the German forces would be under Moscow around June. It is possible that at that time you have not yet been sentenced and did not go to Siberia! Zhukov knew that he could not impress a politician like Khrushchev with righteousness, so he could only say what was at stake.

Only when Khrushchev realized that his life was threatened would he make a choice and agree with Zhukov.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhukov's analysis of the battle situation, Khrushchev fell silent.

He relied on faithful execution of Stalin's orders to get to where he is today. If Stalin really collapsed, it was not good news for him.

However, he was quickly relieved, and replied to Zhukov: "You still don't need to persuade me, if you have that time, it is better to think carefully about how to save your troops from Minsk." ”

"That used to be your troops!" Zhukov was furious, staring at Khrushchev and saying word by word.

Khrushchev smiled, then put the teacup in his hand on the table with a relaxed look: "Fortunately, they are now your troops!" ”

Watching Khrushchev leave, Zhukov suddenly had a feeling of powerlessness. His colleagues and his superiors are the kind of people who regard life as a plaything, what should he rely on to win this war?

Stalin casually drew up an almost impossible battle plan and then ordered millions of men to fight and die.

For the sake of his own safety, Khrushchev preferred to disregard the lives of 400,000 soldiers rather than disobey Stalin's orders.

In such an environment, fighting against the powerful German army is definitely a depressing thing.

"Alright! Do your best to obey the fate of God......" Zhukov muttered as he looked at the map in front of him, at Minsk, which was so close at hand.

The distance from Minsk, probably, is only about a few tens of kilometers. As long as he has enough troops, that's just a day's attack range.

It's a pity that now he can't even draw 3,000 people, so it is simply impossible to bridge the distance between Minsk.

"Order the troops to lay out a new line of defense along Borisov! I need to strengthen every stretch of defense! The division commander personally inspected the defensive positions, and those that were not qualified were reinforced! Fortified until a second before the German army attacked! Zhukov made up his mind to hold on and opened his mouth to order.

In order to hold his line, he was prepared to hold on to fortifications - at least longer than Brest and Minsk.

Only in this way will it be possible to stop the attempts of the Germans to attack Moscow before the first winter comes!

His voice rose sharply, startling the officers guarding the door. However, everyone hurried to start deploying the mission, because there was not much time left for them.

And just as he gave the order to hold on to the spot, Budyonny was in his operational headquarters, giving the order to attack to the north.

The largest Soviet counterattack after the start of the war began, with 100,000 troops heading north to attack the flank of Army Group Center.

And on the road from Minsk to Borisov, near Smolevich, the 505th Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, the spearhead of the German Army Group Center, finally stopped its offensive because it ran out of ammunition.